Store2go.net Is it down??

[possiblyperfect]

Ok I have my shop back at last, and control panel, just need to sort ou the emails, but have been using a different link so I'm not to bothered by that.

Hope everyone is up and running now.

[Sparkle]

I have checked everyones site thi morning, I can get on everyones apart from 'possiblyperfect' but saying that I think 'pp' was the last site to come back, maybe thats the reason?!

Anyway what is everyone planning to do?

Can anyone advice us on how to back up our sites?

[DambTech]

We are thinking of implementing Avactis on-line solution (http://www.avactis.com/) just woudering how many people would be interested, the price would be about £3-4 per month.

[possiblyperfect]

I have checked everyones site thi morning, I can get on everyones apart from 'possiblyperfect' but saying that I think 'pp' was the last site to come back, maybe thats the reason?!

Anyway what is everyone planning to do?

Can anyone advice us on how to back up our sites?


Oh no, thats not good.
I keep checking mine today, my nerves are a wreck lol.
But all seems ok, so far

[borobabe]

We are thinking of implementing Avactis on-line solution (http://www.avactis.com/) just woudering how many people would be interested, the price would be about £3-4 per month.

That looks interesting, I'm still looking for a reliable place for one of my sites but was going to give it some time to choose carefully this time round.

[Adam(KOS)]

Well now we can access store it just tells us that access issues were with domain name ip address and some internet terminals, adding that nameservers need changing etc, adrian does deeply apologise for any inconvienence at our end

as for myself I think I will continue to stock with store2go as I have tried others and been deeply disappointed, I can only say I like the store I have much more than any other I have tried (quite a few believe me! and costly!)

I'd like to echo that sentiment, I'm no geek either. Up until recently I have had no problems. Having contacted S2G I understand that this is only the second outage since the site became live in three years, I have often ( As I'm sure others have found ) noticed other site providers down for quite long periods but of course it never effected me 'Jack'. The poor bloke needs a chance as it couldn't have been easy what with e-mails PMs phones ringing at the same time as trying to sort the problem. Not forgetting the responsibility of carrying so many others livelihood's and seeing the vultures swirling overhead. I very much doubt that the same mistakes will be made again and a better back up system is bound to ensue. Is any one else (apart from me:)) perfect?:rolleyes:

[herbalonly]

I have started another thread to discuss alternative solution
ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=65268

Cannot post link yet :mad:

[spiritcharms]

I Agree with Adam here. Yes its been rough and worrying over those days, wondering what the heck was happening, if i was going to lose all my hard work on www.spiritcharms.co.uk I saw too, all the people, very helpful for those who needed it, point us to alternative web site hosts, but as i looked into them more and more, i began to realise How good for the money, store to go is. Compared to others, and with a little work, you can make S2G site look good for the money. I want to thank Adrian actually for his professionalism in such a tricky situation. There are some companies i know of and have had dealings with, that would have got very nasty and threatening at some point in that situation. So respect to the man for the way he handled himself and us.

The only thing i hope now is that they will try to make sure that this doesnt happen again, and maybe look into a way of letting us backup our site's so if something unforseen does happen, then none of us have to lose all the hard work we put into our websites.

[borobabe]

I can see both hippymotors and possibly perfect, but some of my domains are still not working despite changing the nameservers. Hoping its just taking a bit longer than normal to switch.

[Scarebear]

Well after careful thought and a bit of looking around, plus remembering some off my previous rip offs! I am staying with st2g ;) like i say i love my store compared to others I have had and sometimes things just go wrong! hey ho it's life

So back to stocking!

[Sparkle]

Mmmmm I am swaying in the same direction to be honest!
Adrian had a lot to loose and hopefully he will ensure it won't happen again.
TBH I thought we were all going to loose everything we had worked on, (thank god we haven't)
I am looking into changing the look of my site if anyone can help me?
I don't know about anyone else though but I have to say Adrians support need to be a little improved, disregarding what has happened over the last few days, I have contacted him on a few occasions and had no reply.
I do think, having looked at other hosts, a few things could be improved. Maybe we can all think of things to put to Adrian.
My thoughts are:
1: Better template designs
2: Currency convertor
All in all I am happy everything is ok, for those who are continuing to have problems I am sure they will be sorted out very soon and we will all be back in business!

I want to say a BIG thank you to all my fellow store2go users, you have all helped a great deal, each of you have some good advice to offer and I wish you all the best for the future......Adrian that includes you!

[Store2go]

Thank you very much for your continue support and understanding. I am deeply sorry for the time lost caused by the IP conflict. I am also apology for those who have difficulty emailing me.

Some may still found their site not accessible although other can visit his/her store. This will sort itself out as nameserver propagation is not an instant process. It is caused by caching at ISP level (internet terminals I mentioned previously). If you want to find out more about nameserver propagation see dynadot.com/resource/article/qa.html?aid=16

The server is still the same, and is based in London. Nothing has been changed to your files and database content. The only changed was the nameservers (by yourselves) and IP addresses (on our side). The server provider has daily backup, to a second server, all the time.

As to solution to prevent the same thing happen again. We will discuss with our server provider. Myself and another programmer are capable of programming the ecommerce function, but no server expert. We will also get a separate hosting account, and run a forum for you guys.

Please contact me directly for any suggestions or concern you may have.

[Adam(KOS)]

Well after careful thought and a bit of looking around, plus remembering some off my previous rip offs! I am staying with st2g ;) like i say i love my store compared to others I have had and sometimes things just go wrong! hey ho it's life

So back to stocking!
I totaly agree, I've always detested the expression "there are no friends in business" As a matter of fact, most businesses are probably built to the contrary ;)

[Scarebear]

Think a forum would be a great idea adrian, many of us non techys would certainly appreciate some support in tweaking there stores ;)

[brownie]

It is caused by caching at ISP level (internet terminals I mentioned previously).

What is an "internet terminal" and what has it got to do with DNS caching?

I've asked twice before and you've not answered, you're not giving a clear explanation.

[spiritcharms]

Yes a forum for us would be a great idea, a place where we could help each other and so on, not to mention voice any concerns we might have in private, that isnt on an open forum. Im sure all S2G website owners will agree now, that we would feel better if we had somewhere to run in times like these :) although im sure nothing like this will happen again, as in all the time ive been with S2g, its the first time ive known my site go down like this, which in anybody book, is good service.:D

[spiritcharms]

What is an "internet terminal" and what has it got to do with DNS caching?

I've asked twice before and you've not answered, you're not giving a clear explanation.

I think Adrian must be talking about this sort of thing, the system coming from the main server.

So how do packets find their way across the Internet? Does every computer connected to the Internet know where the other computers are? Do packets simply get 'broadcast' to every computer on the Internet? The answer to both the preceding questions is 'no'. No computer knows where any of the other computers are, and packets do not get sent to every computer. The information used to get packets to their destinations are contained in routing tables kept by each router connected to the Internet.

Routers are packet switches. A router is usually connected between networks to route packets between them. Each router knows about it's sub-networks and which IP addresses they use. The router usually doesn't know what IP addresses are 'above' it. Examine Diagram 5 below. The black boxes connecting the backbones are routers. The larger NSP backbones at the top are connected at a NAP. Under them are several sub-networks, and under them, more sub-networks. At the bottom are two local area networks with computers attached.

http://www.theshulers.com/whitepapers/internet_whitepaper/images/ruswp_diag5.gif

[Adam(KOS)]

What is an "Internet terminal" and what has it got to do with DNS caching?

I've asked twice before and you've not answered, you're not giving a clear explanation.
Pedant? Google doesn't appear to be working very well for you sir!;)
Even after this thread :D
Oh, and I won't go on to say what I did / did not find.:cool:

[moondust]

I totaly agree, I've always detested the expression "there are no friends in business" As a matter of fact, most businesses are probably built to the contrary ;)

I'm pleased to hear everyone is back on-line however my shop is a complete and utter mess and I am going to have to seriously consider closing it until it is sorted out -it has been a year of long hard work , have had to change the template and it's only through another shop owner that i have manged to get anything looking half of what it did before - I also have a lot of code on the pages no product images etc and despite following advice to re upload images and refresh it still looks the same...it looked great before all this. thankyou to the one person who has helped me out and no it isn't Adrian -Adrian if you read this perhaps you could send me a contact telephone number -that would make my life a lot easier :mad:

[spiritcharms]

I'm pleased to hear everyone is back on-line however my shop is a complete and utter mess and I am going to have to seriously consider closing it until it is sorted out -it has been a year of long hard work , have had to change the template and it's only through another shop owner that i have manged to get anything looking half of what it did before - I also have a lot of code on the pages no product images etc and despite following advice to re upload images and refresh it still looks the same...it looked great before all this. thankyou to the one person who has helped me out and no it isn't Adrian -Adrian if you read this perhaps you could send me a contact telephone number -that would make my life a lot easier :mad:

Hi moondust, sorry to hear that you still havent sorted your problems out over this. To be honest it was your excellent website that inspired me to have a go with my own site. Are you sure though that it's because of the recent events that as made your site go sideways. I noticed your site going sideways a few months back. I was just wondering what resolution on your monitor was when you were putting your site together, and have you recently changed the resolution on your pc. if your resolution on your monitor was above the recommeded 1024 x 768 that is recommended to view our sites in, then your site could have looked as if it fitted the screen to you, when to others, like myself in 1024x768 it slid sideways. looking at your site, why dont you try to resize your main picture, it only takes something like this to throw it all out. your site will come back to shape if you make everything smaller.

[Sparkle]

What is the address of moonducts site?

[Adam(KOS)]

I'm pleased to hear everyone is back on-line however my shop is a complete and utter mess and I am going to have to seriously consider closing it until it is sorted out -it has been a year of long hard work , have had to change the template and it's only through another shop owner that i have manged to get anything looking half of what it did before - I also have a lot of code on the pages no product images etc and despite following advice to re upload images and refresh it still looks the same...it looked great before all this. thankyou to the one person who has helped me out and no it isn't Adrian -Adrian if you read this perhaps you could send me a contact telephone number -that would make my life a lot easier :mad:
Looks great from here:) Try the 'restore' program to 4/5 days ago ( tools )

[borobabe]

If its moondustandangels.co.uk then I can see it fine too.

[Scarebear]

me too, looks great :)

[Adam(KOS)]

I'm pleased to hear everyone is back on-line however my shop is a complete and utter mess and I am going to have to seriously consider closing it until it is sorted out -it has been a year of long hard work , have had to change the template and it's only through another shop owner that i have manged to get anything looking half of what it did before - I also have a lot of code on the pages no product images etc and despite following advice to re upload images and refresh it still looks the same...it looked great before all this. thankyou to the one person who has helped me out and no it isn't Adrian -Adrian if you read this perhaps you could send me a contact telephone number -that would make my life a lot easier :mad:
Just out of interest did the 'one person' change any thing? because it appears you are the 'one person' still having problems!:cool:

[Sparkle]

and me moondust..looks great! Is that everyone up and running then?

[Adam(KOS)]

Time for bed said Zeb':D

[jdpos]

You can't exactly blame Adrian, he didn't know that there was a problem at first and he probably gets a few emails a day. Then suddenly every single shop owner emails him, obviously going to be hard to sort each invididual out. Just on this forum there's at least 50 shop owners!

[Scarebear]

Yep, it was a bolt out of blue for everyone, particulary adrian! but things happen sometimes that there is no control over, and as we all know lessons learnt and all that

[brownie]

I think Adrian must be talking about this sort of thing, the system coming from the main server.

lol :D

I design and implement large DNS solutions for datacentres, there is some right ********e being spouted in this thread. :D

Think I'll start up an ecommerce solution for small businesses, I just hope I can get some customers like you lot. ;)

Re your PM Adrian, very patronising or you haven't a clue what you're on about. :rolleyes:

[spiritcharms]

lol :D

I design and implement large DNS solutions for datacentres, there is some right ********e being spouted in this thread. :D

Think I'll start up an ecommerce solution for small businesses, I just hope I can get some customers like you lot. ;)

Re your PM Adrian, very patronising or you haven't a clue what you're on about. :rolleyes:

This is excatly what i meant in my thread about thanking adrian for his handling of this situation, as you can see from the reply above, not everybody has what it takes to deal with people. Brownie, i think if you did get customers like "US LOT", and spoke to us like that, you wouldnt keep us for very long. It takes more than just knowledge to run a buisness, you have to have people skills too, which seems you dont have with that patronising comment. Being pompus and arrogant just because you design and implement large DNS solutions for datacentres bla bla.. Yawn, oh cares..

Adrian may be spouting ********e in your eyes, but i for one,well, im glad it aint you in charge of our websites with an attitude like that.:rolleyes:

[quikshop]

Its been a very interesting thread to follow, not only from the viewpoint of one of Adrians competitors, but also as someone who once had a shop go down for 3 days just before Christmas which lost us thousands in potential business.

I seem to remember that both my partner and I were furious at the time with our host but it was unfortunately one of those things out of our and as it turned out, their control.

As much as any of us like to think that we are well protected from these types of events, unforseen or uncontrollable circumstances do rear their ugly heads from time to time, the importance then is how you respond to that and that you keep people informed.

I think after a shaky start regarding communications Adrian has pulled through very well and his acceptance of your feedback in setting up a forum as an extra line of communication is to be applauded.

I also feel that the criticisms of no telephone support are harsh. Telephone support like any additional services have to be funded by the business owner which is then reflected in the prices charged to shop owners (compare our prices (http://www.internetretailer.biz/partner/qs_prices.aspx) with telephone support, and Adrians prices without). Its then up to the shop owner on the level of services they think is appropriate for their business.

It also restores your faith a bit in humankind that people are willing to give someone a second chance and understand the pressures they are under as well :D

[Adam(KOS)]

This is excatly what i meant in my thread about thanking adrian for his handling of this situation, as you can see from the reply above, not everybody has what it takes to deal with people. Brownie, i think if you did get customers like "US LOT", and spoke to us like that, you wouldnt keep us for very long. It takes more than just knowledge to run a buisness, you have to have people skills too, which seems you dont have with that patronising comment. Being pompus and arrogant just because you design and implement large DNS solutions for datacentres bla bla.. Yawn, oh cares..

Adrian may be spouting ********e in your eyes, but i for one,well, im glad it aint you in charge of our websites with an attitude like that.:rolleyes:
Couldn't have put it better myself:)

[brownie]

It takes more than just knowledge to run a buisness, you have to have people skills too, which seems you dont have with that patronising comment.

I fully agree with you and you are correct in that my people skills are not all they should be, however I pride myself in always being upfront and honest with my clients. :)

I have a bee in my bonnet about the poor standards in the IT industry and do not like to see anyone being taken for a fool.

[spiritcharms]

Adrian openly admitted that he is no techno website wizard, but he must know enough to keep us problem free for as long as ive been with S2G. people skills are very important in this game, it gets you something that is very valuable in buisness, and thats customer loyalty, the thing that keep people coming back to your company rather than going anywhere else, and forgiving you any mistakes or mishaps that may happen. I think that we can see how important that is now. what happened to S2G over these last few days got us all in a right old state, but what we saw was Adrian, doing his best to sort it, and showing that he was genuinly concerened with what happened. That in anybodys book is good people skills and good management:)

[Scarebear]

Couldn't have put it better myself:)


same here ;)

[DambTech]

I have a bee in my bonnet about the poor standards in the IT industry and do not like to see anyone being taken for a fool.

Alot of companies supply poor standards in the IT industry and customers do not realize this until it is to late and they have being made fools of or lost money through it.

Every business should have a contact phone number if there are any problems there should be someone there answering the phone and putting customers at easy about what is happening. Getting customers to phone and try to ask what is happening at £1 per minute is totally uncalled for.

Dave

[Adam(KOS)]

A few minutes before the church services started, the congregation wasSitting in their pews and talking. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church.Everyone started screaming and running for the back entrance, trampling each Other in a frantic effort to get away from evil incarnate. Soon the church was empty except for Adrian who satCalmly in his pew without moving, seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's Ultimate enemy was in his presence. So Satan walked up to Adrian and said, "Do you know who I am?" Adrian replied, "Yep, sure do." "Aren't you afraid of me?" Satan asked. "Nope, sure ain't." said Adrian. "Don't you realize I can kill you with one word?" asked Satan."Don't doubt it for a minute," returned Adrian, in an even tone. "Did you know that I can cause you profound, horrifying AGONY for all eternity?" persisted Satan. "Yep," was the calm reply. "And you're still not afraid?" asked Satan. "Nope," said Adrian. More than a little perturbed, Satan asked, "Why aren't you afraid of me?" Adrian replied, " If you knew the hell I've been through in the last few days you'd bloody understand why"

[Dustino]

I do think, having looked at other hosts, a few things could be improved. Maybe we can all think of things to put to Adrian.
My thoughts are:
1: Better template designs
2: Currency convertor
All in all I am happy everything is ok, for those who are continuing to have problems I am sure they will be sorted out very soon and we will all be back in business!


I agree. I would also like more postage options. 5 Just is not enough for my store. If I had 7 I could include Airmail to world zone 1 and 2 and Uk special delivery.

[Busy Lizzie Crafts]

I have sent an urgent email to Adrian but thought I would ask the question this forum :

Has anyone else experienced issues with Protx payments via their Store2Go website since the problems last week?

[Sparkle]

I don't use protx but I have seen an increase in 'pending' paypal payments.
Busy lizzie crafts do you want me to do a test purchase?

[Busy Lizzie Crafts]

Hi Sparkle :)

Thank you very much for the offer.....but Adrian has found the problem - me !

It turns out that a scripting I had inserted in the right hand side column was causing the issue (for a Shoutbox which I was going to use for testimonials) - oooppps :redface:

[Sparkle]

Hi Sparkle :)

Thank you very much for the offer.....but Adrian has found the problem - me !

It turns out that a scripting I had inserted in the right hand side column was causing the issue (for a Shoutbox which I was going to use for testimonials) - oooppps :redface:
At least you have it sorted now!

[jelly3]

I am extremely disappointed with them.
I sent an email on thursday but never got a reply, I only found this thread by chance. Amazingly I managed to get an email about the new forum he has set up, pity he did not think to email everyone that there was a problem, hey.
Mini rant aside, I think based on the money we pay, it is still a reasonable service.

On the other hand, I have had at least 3 very bad experiences with 3 higher profile web hosts.(And more expensive).
So I don't see myself going elsewhere right now.
I managed to implement some html, even if it was with one finger & on line guides, something I could never have done before.
And I'm in the middle of redesigning the site, the logo, with one finger again.
At least we are back on. It could have been worse at least it is not smartmerchant.

[Adam(KOS)]

I am extremely disappointed with them.
I sent an email on thursday but never got a reply, I only found this thread by chance. Amazingly I managed to get an email about the new forum he has set up, pity he did not think to email everyone that there was a problem, hey.
Mini rant aside, I think based on the money we pay, it is still a reasonable service.

On the other hand, I have had at least 3 very bad experiences with 3 higher profile web hosts.(And more expensive).
So I don't see myself going elsewhere right now.
I managed to implement some html, even if it was with one finger & on line guides, something I could never have done before.
And I'm in the middle of redesigning the site, the logo, with one finger again.
At least we are back on. It could have been worse at least it is not smartmerchant.


Yes, it was a bit worrying. But on the whole I feel that I am getting more than my moneys worth and I like the ability of being in control of the content especially as I am a complete *%$* when it comes to IT:redface:

As a matter of interest S2G has now set up a forum for all the store holders ( free of course ) and it's starting to build up quite nicely with internal offers and exchanging of links etc should be a welcome addition to those who like networking as well.
To add if the value of backing up is not now seen by all, it never will be!:rolleyes: